Bolton manager Ian Evatt has admitted that Owen Beck is not physically ready for first team football yet - but added it won’t be long until his fans can see the Liverpool loanee in action.
Beck joined Conor Bradley at the League One outfit on a season-long loan on deadline day - he had originally joined Prima Liga side Famalicao earlier in the summer, but had his temporary contract with them terminated after just 46 days. The 20-year-old made two substitute appearances for Jurgen Klopp’s side last season and hasn’t played first-team football since December.
Without competitive senior minutes under his belt, Wanderers boss Evatt admitted the young left-back is ‘not at the required level’ to feature for his side, but added that a special training programme will get the Reds loanee up to speed.
“He’s getting there,” Evatt said at the weekend. “Physically, he wasn’t where we needed him to be because playing wing-back for me is probably the most difficult position, it is the most physically demanding and you have to be really, really fit.
“I think he was not at the required level but I think he’s getting there fast and I think the last couple of days training have done him the world of good and I’m starting to see what he can really do now, which is really good.”
Breaking into the first-team regularly will be no easy task for Beck, even once fully fit, with Declan John and Jack Iredale already vying for the left wing-back spot. But Evatt highlighted the qualities of the young full-back that could place him above his new teammates.
“I think Jack’s more of a defensive type, even though he’s got real quality with his passing and his crossing, as we saw on Saturday, he is a progressive passer. He can feed the ball into really good areas with a lovely left foot.
“Declan is more of an attacking wing-back. He is a linker, he is a connector, he can come inside, he can dribble, he can combine with fast combinations.
“Then Owen is probably a hybrid of the two, where he can press intensely and aggressively – because that is the Liverpool way and how they coach their full-backs - but he can dribble inside, he can dribble outside, and he can cross as well.”
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